# OK Elon Musk, you win the "weird baby name" sweepstakes. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 8, 2020, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386 "2020-05-08T05:55:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386/1 "2020-05-08T05:55:11Z")
What do you get for naming your child\*\* X Æ A-12\*\*? With any luck, disowned by that child at age 15 when he files to be an emancipated minor and changes his name to Fred. That is seriously bordering on child abuse. Explanation of their recommended pronunciation [here](https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/celebrity/elon-musk-explains-exactly-how-to-pronounce-his-newborn-sons-name-x-%c3%a6-a-12/ar-BB13KZJ3?li=BBnb2gh). (Actually, the kid will probable be called either X Musk or Ash Musk, either of which are still equally horrible). Run little Freddy Musk, as soon as you can stand upright! ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386/2 "2020-05-08T06:59:29Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > What do you get for naming your child\*\* X Æ A-12\*\*? > With any luck, disowned by that child at age 15 when he files to be an emancipated minor and changes his name to Fred. > That is seriously bordering on child abuse. > > Explanation of their recommended pronunciation [here](https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/celebrity/elon-musk-explains-exactly-how-to-pronounce-his-newborn-sons-name-x-%c3%a6-a-12/ar-BB13KZJ3?li=BBnb2gh). > > (Actually, the kid will probable be called either X Musk or Ash Musk, either of which are still equally horrible). > > Run little Freddy Musk, as soon as you can stand upright! No way would they be able to register such a name. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386/3 "2020-05-08T06:59:56Z")
OTOH, I always thought a name like Moon Unit Zappa was kinda neat. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386/4 "2020-05-08T07:00:49Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > Run little Freddy Musk, as soon as you can stand upright! Don’t even wait till then. Crawl, roll, do anything to get away, NOW! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386/5 "2020-05-08T09:27:36Z")
When you are rich there is no one to tell you, “Ummmm…You must be very tired. Why don’t you go take a nap and we’ll discuss naming the child in the morning.” ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386/6 "2020-05-08T09:50:39Z")
Theybsay child abusers were abused thenselves. Papa was named Elon. At least, when Spoonerized, the kid’s name won’t be Pile o’ Shit. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386/7 "2020-05-08T10:12:10Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > OTOH, I always thought a name like Moon Unit Zappa was kinda neat. Zappa’s kids are distinguished in the rockstar world by clearly loving their dad and also being just fine with their weird names. All the people I know personally who named their kids something stupid or deeply odd were gobsmacked when their kids marched to the courthouse to change their names to something very normal, on the day they turned 18. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386/8 "2020-05-08T10:28:14Z")
It’s disappointing that they’re getting so much of the attention they crave for something so boring as announcing a stupid name, lacking any cleverness or wit or whimsy. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386/9 "2020-05-08T11:43:13Z")
I would have named him Husky. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386/10 "2020-05-08T12:58:22Z")
Hey, we’re all rushing to judgement here; I’ve heard nothing about the mother, maybe it’s a family name on her side? ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386/11 "2020-05-08T13:31:01Z")
The Artist formerly known as Prince, but eventually returned to being Prince again sorta won the weird name sweepstakes. One of the funniest baby name stories was when Barbara Hershey (who temporarily called herself Barbara Hershey Seagull for a while) and David Carradine produced a baby. That was a little boy named “free.” No capital letter, just “free.” When free hit adolescence, he had a talk with his mom. He wasn’t too crazy about being “free.” Why did you name me that, do I have to keep it, why was I born, what is the meaning of life, you know, the typical adolescent conversation. She told the kid the name “free” meant he wasn’t tied down to any expectation or rules or influence. He was, essentially “free” to make his own decisions. “So I can change my name?” “Yes. It’s up to you. Do you want to change it to something else?” “I kind of like the name Tom.” So, maybe Pythagoras Theorem Musk will eventually change his name to Ed. To potential parents: before naming any child, go yell the name out the back door three times. If your tongue gets all twisted, go find another name. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386/12 "2020-05-08T13:45:41Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > Hey, we’re all rushing to judgement here; I’ve heard nothing about the mother, maybe it’s a family name on her side? Well, mom’s stage name is “Grimes”. These two appear to have a strange aesthetic when it comes to names. “Ash” isn’t bad and giving him the middle initial “X” is not that big a deal. The third part with the plane and whatever nonsense is just ridiculous but I assume that would just be on the birth certificate. No one would ever use it, or probably even know about it. The pisser, to me, is the stupid symbol nonsense. Complete douchery. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386/13 "2020-05-08T13:48:11Z")
It’s origins come from an old Native American name. Roughly translated it means “one who falls on keyboard”. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386/14 "2020-05-08T13:51:44Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > Hey, we’re all rushing to judgement here; I’ve heard nothing about the mother, maybe it’s a family name on her side? The baby’s mother, Elon Musk’s partner, is someone called “Grimes.” Wikipedia tells me that Grimes is a Canadian singer, birth name Claire Boucher. Wikipedia further tells me that since 2018, she has been called “c” by her friends. That’s c, lower-case, as in the symbol for the speed of light. So I would say that conventional names are not a priority in this family. Edit: Drat! Ninja’d! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386/15 "2020-05-08T13:57:06Z")
Musk has been reading too much [Schlock Mercenary](https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2006-04-19). Personally, my feeling is that if you want to give your kid a crazy name, give it to them as a _middle_ name. That way, if they decide they want to embrace it, they can, and if they decide they want to just quietly ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist, they can do that, too. ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386/16 "2020-05-08T13:58:35Z")
Imagine using the naming of your own child as a publicity stunt. I know he’s far from the first and certainly not the last, but it’s just a sickening way to get attention for yourself. I don’t mind slightly more unique names, but at least they’re usually chosen because the parent LIKES them. Not because they think it’ll grab attention in the papers. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386/17 "2020-05-08T14:07:51Z")
I know it would be a terrible shock if Elon Musk was less than truthful about something, but my guess is that this is _just_ a publicity stunt. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386/18 "2020-05-08T14:39:39Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I would have named him Husky. Thinking along these same lines, I was going to suggest Ox (or Oxley). His name would appear on the list at roll call as Musk, Ox. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386/19 "2020-05-08T15:16:19Z")
Elon’s other children are named Nevada, Griffin, Xavier, Damian, Saxon, and Kai. All boys. ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386/20 "2020-05-08T18:38:32Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Elon’s other children are named Nevada, Griffin, Xavier, Damian, Saxon, and Kai. All boys. I’m pretty sure half of those are also 80s metal bands. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-elon-musk-you-win-the-weird-baby-name-sweepstakes/853386.md?page=2)